


That's what best friends are for

by Injeolmi_hyuck



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Best Friends, Cute, Donghyuck is sleeping for the most part, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gay, Late at Night, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee Are Best Friends, M/M, Mark Lee (NCT) is Whipped, Mark thinks about his love for his best friend Donghyuck, Movie Night, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Secret Crush, Sharing a Bed, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-09 05:15:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20848112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Injeolmi_hyuck/pseuds/Injeolmi_hyuck
Summary: It's weird, Mark thought to himself. It's weird how his entire body was calm, but his heart felt like it was about to burst.That's what Donghyuck did to him.





	That's what best friends are for

It's weird, Mark thought to himself. It's weird how his entire body was calm, but his heart felt like it was about to burst.

That's what Donghyuck did to him.

The slightly smaller boy laid next to him on the bed, his knee against Mark's thigh. Donghyuck was someone to show a lot of physical affection, but Mark would only let him if they're alone. When he was the only one he was doing it for and not just to get someone else's reaction. 

Mark watched his chest move up and down peacefully, a fond smile spreading on his face at the sight of his position. Donghyuck had both legs pulled up to his chest like a little baby.

How could looking at a person be so soothing?

Mark recalled his older sister's words from last winter, when he was about to throw away a pair of sweatpants because he needed some space in his closet. She made him aware of a so-called rule in life, according to which you always have to keep your clothes for your future girlfriend to wear. And even though Mark had been single for all his life, he could definitely see what she meant by that. 

Having the person you adore the most wearing your clothes only makes you fall in love with them more. 

Mark knew.

He reached for the remote and turned the TV off, making sure to keep his movements down to not wake him up. They were in the middle of  _ The Kissing Booth _ when he realized Donghyuck's eyes had been closed for long enough to tell he was sleeping. Mark hated those kinda movies, but what was he supposed to do? 

Donghyuck appeared on his doorstep without any explanation, a bag of chips in his hands. That was enough for Mark to know what he had to do.

What every best friend would do in that situation.

He grabbed Donghyuck's arm and brought him upstairs into his room, closing the door behind them to have some privacy. 

They didn't really talk at all. They didn't have to for Mark to know what was going on.

Donghyuck was stressed.

The pretty boy with his sun-kissed skin was an overachiever, always had been. School, singing and the occasional dancing lessons got too much sometimes, even for him.

In the beginning, Mark told him to quit at least  _ something _ after the third little breakdown in just a week. But Donghyuck was Donghyuck, and instead of listening to Mark's advice, he yelled at him and avoided him for two days straight. Needless to say, he didn't quit anything.

That was the moment Mark realized that in a relationship of any kind, be it a friendship or something more, you had to accept the other person as they are. In this case, he had to understand that singing and dancing were the most important things for Donghyuck. They were his passion and nowadays, Mark found his determination to be more attractive than anything else.

And he had to accept that.

After Donghyuck wasn't mad at him anymore, Mark apologized and promised to support him no matter what. He never broke his promise.

A smile crept onto Mark's face as he observed the tiny string of hair falling over Donghyuck's shut eyes. His nose scrunched up cutely in response.

Remembering he didn't have to hold back because no-one saw him at that moment, Mark dared to reach out for the freshly dyed bangs and brushed them out of his face, exposing his flawless forehead he rarely ever saw since Donghyuck passed the age of twelve. He never changed his hairstyle, only the color, but that, quite often.

His best friend being a broke high school student of this generation, did what anyone in his situation would do. He talked Mark into doing it for him.

And that was how the high school senior ended up with the most random colors under his fingernails on a regular basis, making other people believe he was into art. In his eyes, Donghyuck was just that, a piece of art, so technically they weren't even wrong.

When he turned up with the gray hair dye a few days ago, Mark was a bit unsure. It's true, so far he had pulled off every single color he had arrived on his doorstep with, and the interested looks of others at the typical high school parties they attend every once in a while showed his ability to know what looks good on him, but wasn’t it normal for humans to reach a point in their lives where they just can’t improve their looks anymore, where they reach a level of perfection that can’t be topped.

Well, Donghyuck seemed to be out of this world because he only got more attractive over time.

It took Mark longer to persuade Donghyuck to watch all eight Harry Potter movies with him than to acknowledge his feelings for the younger boy were not what he first thought.

No, he was in love with him. He had been for more than five years now. 

A little whimper coming from Donghyuck’s plump lips caught Mark’s attention, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Donghyuck slowly opened his eyes, squinting because of the light. Mark wanted to kiss him more than ever.

“Did I fall asleep?” His voice was still hoarse from sleeping.

“Yeah, you want to continue the movie or…”

“No,” Donghyuck said immediately, closing his eyes again and nuzzling back into the pillow. “I just want to sleep.”

Mark smiled at his best friend for no other reason than how adorable he was acting, like a little baby. 

He wished he could call him  _ his _ .

“Okay,” Mark whispered, got up to turn off the lights and laid down again. Due to the position of his bed, he had to crawl over Donghyuck, but made sure to not accidentally place his knee somewhere it shouldn’t be.

Mark didn’t even get to pull the sheets over him because there was already a pair of legs wrapping themselves around his middle, and a head leaning against the side of his own.

Mark’s breath hitched.

“Goodnight, Hyung.”

“Goodnight, Hyuckie.”

Mark fell asleep later that night, when he noticed Donghyuck’s breathing slowing down and his legs going limp, signifying the boy cuddling up to him was asleep once again.

Only then, Mark was able to find peace. 

Knowing Donghyuck was at his side, and safe.


End file.
